The premier has issued an open invitation for “growth strategy” proposals that would make it easier for businesses to thrive in special economic zones as well as ideas that could benefit the economy as a whole.

The proposals will be taken into consideration when Mr. Abe puts in motion a plan to set up the special economic zones, expected to be a key element of his growth strategy, the third pillar of his “Abenomics” economic policies, along with large-scale government spending and aggressive monetary easing by the Bank of Japan.

“Mr. Abe considers (the special zone) as the flagship of Abenomics and expects it to show that the government is serious about reforming the economy,” Yoshitaka Shindo, the cabinet minister in charge of the project said at a briefing last month.

Mr. Shindo was addressing a room full of participants from more than 250 organizations ranging from local governments and major construction companies to consultancy firms, all eager to learn about the special zones.

Even though the plan is still in its early stages, one idea being thrown around is action to attract more professionals from overseas. For example, there have been discussions about turning Tokyo’s Marunouchi business district into an area where foreigners can conveniently live, by setting up residential complexes along with international schools and medical services in English.

“We’d like to create an environment where foreigners can have access to schools and medical services and housing in a way that they can feel comfortable,” said Tatsuo Hatta, the head of a government panel on crafting the economic zone plan.

In attracting top-level foreign talent that could move the country’s economy forward, Japan’s largely monolingual environment has frequently been cited as a disadvantage when compared with other Asian hubs such as Singapore or Hong Kong.

Mr. Hatta says his team wants to hear a lot from foreigners to help them design a foreigner-friendly business environment.

One government official says the proposals could even be submitted in English.

“We accept proposals in English,” he said. “‘Although it would be great if a brief summary of the idea in Japanese is attached.”

About Japan Real Time

Japan Real Time is a newsy, concise guide to what works, what doesn’t and why in the one-time poster child for Asian development, as it struggles to keep pace with faster-growing neighbors while competing with Europe for Michelin-rated restaurants. Drawing on the expertise of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, the site provides an inside track on business, politics and lifestyle in Japan as it comes to terms with being overtaken by China as the world’s second-biggest economy. You can contact the editors at japanrealtime@wsj.com